BTW -- I see some nice dime stacks going on there!


Good for you!!


Another thing you'll learn - as well as anyone else reading this thread - is that small projects like this can teach you A LOT.... and a lot of it is about the heat build up in the total of the part. You'd be amazed at how hot stuff can get - and this WILL affect your welding.

Lots of small convenience stuff.......
http://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-R...-RrJmgk3-L.jpg http://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-J...-JhfM2T6-L.jpg

These dime stacks turn me on..........as does the part itself
http://i1015.photobucket.com/albums/...ps3ede4844.jpg

So Sieg and I were texting back and forth.... regarding TIG welding.

#1 -- Please trust me when I tell you I'm no expert welder. Actually - I'm no expert anything.... but I weld once in awhile. Sometimes it's TIG - maybe it's stainless steel - maybe it's aluminum.... sometimes I MIG.... But HOME SHOP GUYS just don't weld very often. And when we do -- it's rarely the same thing twice!

I say this because what people need to understand is that you're never going to lay down perfect little unwavering beads --- like a pro does --- that welds bicycle frames all day long for a living. We just don't get behind the wheel that often -- but that's not to say you can't develop decent welding skills - and like riding a bicycle - you should be able to go for periods of time - without forgetting what you've learned.

Experts know all the little tips and tricks. Me? I have to remember to plug the GD machine into the wall!!

So back to the reason for the post. Sieg sent me some decent stacks via text. Then I decided - since I've been telling him to REDUCE his amperage and slow his travel speed down while he's trying to get the move / dab / move / dap hand dance down. So with this in mind I thought --- OKAY BIG MOUTH --- head out to the shed and see if I can replicate what I'm seeing in Siegs beads and do this myself! WTF -- It's raining today... I got nothing better to do - and it'll be interesting.


First I cut a bunch of 5" long 1" square .50 wall tubing.... deburred it -- cleaned it with NON chlorinated brake cleaner - and scuffed it quickly with a 3" roloc disc.


The rule of thumb is ONE amp per ONE THOUSANDTH material thickness.... and since I'd been telling Sieggy the weld master to cut his amperage I figured I'd stick to that rule - so 50 amps it is....

Well.... I could hardly get a puddle going - and by the time I could get puddle and try to move it along and dab --- #1 my auto darkening helmet kept lighting up! Which blinds you momentarily - and trying to weld at this low amperage was just so SLOW.... and not a good puddle at all! It was like REALLY DUDE! YOU SUCK!!






http://i919.photobucket.com/albums/a...NG/file-16.jpg








Now -- the MILLER weld calculator I have on the phone says the range for 1/16th butt welded steel should be 50 to 80 amps...

I have not TIG welded ANYTHING for probably 4 or 5 months!

I'm using a 1/16th 2% Thoriated (red end) tungsten - 11 CFH argon gas - 1/16th fill rod - gas lens #7 cup.

Both ends tacked --- I started at one end and laid down the whole 5" piece... and this was what I got:

My point is that --- with too low of amperage (heat) I couldn't weld for shizzle! Using the top end of the "range" I could walk the puddle and dab (one dab per little stack here) and weld at a speed that I'm used to.










http://i919.photobucket.com/albums/a...NG/file-11.jpg

Now on to just plain old BS....


I use a tungsten sharpener.... I don't think this makes any difference at all in your welding -- but when it really counts -- I know I can shape a tungsten and it's not contaminated etc....





http://i919.photobucket.com/albums/a...ING/file-8.jpg







And it does it fast and the same every time!








http://i919.photobucket.com/albums/a...ING/file-9.jpg










But the one tool (I made from a cam gear / and old wrench / and the ends I cut off of a couple Mark Williams axles) that I think really helps is a PROPER torch rest!!! :snapout:









http://i919.photobucket.com/albums/a...NG/file-15.jpg

Nice tool!

You just sparked an idea for mine, thanks.

:idea: :hairpullout: :idea: :lol: :lol:

I love following a build but sometimes its the cool homemade stuff that really showcases true imagination. Love the torch stand

:D :D Glad you like it!


So much time.... so little to do.....

I found the same issue with amperage. I thought I was doing something wrong since all published stuff I saw said 1 amp per thou. So, on .50 sheet metal I set the machine at 65 amps and went to town. I had my Dad watch the readout on the welder as I was welding. Turns out that I used about 62 amps to create the puddle and as I moved along, I was down around 48-52. I guess once some heat soaks into the material it acts as a pre-heat and then allows you to back off on the current. Just a guess.

Now I need to make a torch stand, quit posting that stuff. I have enough to do! :action-smiley-027:

Makes sense to me Chad.

Being a rookie I was having a tough time getting a puddle due to low amps. Once I used a more aggressive max amp setting it allowed me to hit it quick and hot, similar to a tack weld, to get the puddle started then back it down.

Miller's phone app notes to add 10% to the amperage setting for mild steel vs. stainless.

Your post got me thinking......if it was a CNC process the machine would probably monitor material temp ahead of the bead and the amperage would gradually be stepped down from start to finish as heat builds.

I thinking about videoing my machine readout while practicing to better understand the process. Similar to a Dyno chart or GPS track log for an event.